Cigar-bunch machine



Jan. 16, 1923.

' V. J. WAHLSTROM.

cla/m BUNCH MACHINE.

15 SHEES--SHEE'I 3.

FILED SEPT. 27| 1919.

. ww'ntoz Jam.v 16, 1923. l 1,442,200.

v.J.wAHLsTR0M.

CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE.

FILED sEPLzl. |919. 15 SHEETS-snm 4.

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' V 1- WAHLSTROM,

cllGAR BUNCH MACHINE. FILED sEPT.27,1919.

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Jan. 16, 1923.

V. J. WAHLSTROM.

CIGAR BUNCH MAHIJE.

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.FILED SEPTI 27| 1919.

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v.1. WAHLSTROM.

CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE.

l5 SHEEIS- SHEE] 7.

FILED SEPTa 27.1919.

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. 1,442,200. V. J. WAHLSTROM. i CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE.

FILED SEPT. 27. l9l9.

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J an. 16, 1923.

V. J. WAHLSTROIVI.

CIGAB BUNCH MACHINE.

FILED SEPT.2. 1919. l5 SHEETS*SHEET 9.

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J an. 16, 1923.

V. J. WAHLSTROM.

CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE.

FILED SEPT`27|1919. l5 SHEETS-SHEET l0.

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v. J. WAHLSTROM.

CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE.

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v.1.`wAHLsTR0M.

CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE.

FILED SEPI- 27.1919. l5 SHEETS-SHEET l2.

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V. J. WAI'ILSTROIVI. CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE.

15`sHeETs-SHEE1 1s.

FILED SEPT- 27.1919.

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Jan. 16, 1.923. 1,442,200.

A v. J. WAHLSTROM.

CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE. l

FILED SIEPT.27 1919. I5 SHEETS-SHEET 14.

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Jan. 16, 1923..

v. J. WAHLSTRUM."

CIGAR BUNCH MACHINE.

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FILED SEPT. v27| T919.

l vwemfoz Patented Jan. 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFiCE.

VERNER JOHAN WAHLSTROM, BROOKLYN, YORK, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNA- TIONAL CIG-AR MACHINERY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. VY., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CIGAR-BUNCH MACHINE.

y Application led' September 27, 1919. Serial No. 326,720.

T o all whom lt may concern.'

Be it known that I, VERNER J. VVAIaL- sTRoM, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings,.and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cigar-Bunch Machines, of which the following is a specifcatmn.

This invention relates to an .improvement in cigar bunch machines of the general type used for making what is` known as fresh bunches.

Cigar bunch machines are known in the art which first separate a charge of long filler t0- bacco from a mass, then cause it to be enclosed within a. binder to initially form a "fresh bunch, then subject the fresh bunch to the action of a manipulating device for evenly and loosely7 distributing the filler in its mid-section, and finally compresses one or both ends of the bunch into permanent conic form. It has been foundA in practice that these machinesdo not always function as perfectly as they should to satisfy the demands of the tra-de, particularly when used in the manufacture of high grade cigars. The main object ofthe present invention is to overcome the defects of existing machines by producing a machine or machines whichv object is the production of a machine-having.

a bunch manipulating mechanism movable about an axis lying at an angle to the axis'of its bunch rolling drumin order to provide for variations in form of the cigar bunches operated upon, and-'further having a member cooperating with the bunch rolling.drum,

vsaid member being yieldingly mounted -at two points adjacent its ends whereby a more uniform pressure upon the bunch during the manipulating action is maintained. Still another objectis the production of a machine having means for compressing one or both ends of a. bunch first into wedge and then into permanent conic form, this having been found much superior to the old method of gathering an end into conic form in `one operation. With these and other objects not specifically mentioned'in view, the invention consists in certain parts, constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

' In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which like characters 'of reference indicate the same or like parts, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in'accordance with theinvention, Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the filler feed mechanism, Fig. 3 is a plan view of a filler feed, binder applying, manipulating, and end compressing mechanisms, F ig 4 is a plan View upon an enlarged scale of a part of the charge separating mechanism, Fig. 5 isI a sectionalview of the charge transferring mechanism, Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the same mechanism` Fig. 8 is an end view of the same mechanism, Figs. .9 and 10 are respectively plan and side elevation of thebinder applying mecha- 7 nism, Figsill and 12 are detail views of the same mechanism, Figs. 13 and 14 are Iespectively side elevation and planvie-W of thebunch manipulating mechanism," Fig. 15'y is a sectional elevation of the end compressiv ing mechanism, Figs. 16, 17 and 18 are elevation and plan views of the same mecha.-

nism, Figs.l 19 and 20 are detail views of the same mechanism, and Figs.21,22,23 a-nd 24 are diagrammatic views illustrating the action of the end compressing mechanism.

In carrying the invention into effect, there 1s provided means for supporting a fresh bunch and means acting upon said bunbhvto first transversely compress one. or both offitsl ends. into temporary wedge form'I and to` thereafter compress said end or'ndsin another direction to give 1t permaneitjcomc form,fthis method of compression `having beenlfoundin practice far superior tothe old gathering method. v There is further prvigded vin the bestyconstructions Within'the' invention dual end compressing means; and means for spacing said dual means in accordance with the nature and condition of the tobacco of which the bunch is composed, to compensate for the elongation of the bunch which occurs when the finished bunch is rolled in a wrapping device during the subsequent wrapper applying operation, and thus eliminating the wastage of cut wrapper stock heretofore obtaining due to the absence of such adjusting means. In the best constructions also, there is provided a bunch manipulating mechanism including a bunch rolling drum and a cooperating member the latter being mounted adjacent its ends upon compression springs which serve'to impart equal pressure to the bunch as it is rolled around by the drum, thus more evenly distributing the filler in the mid-section of the bunch. And in the best constructions also, there is provided a -chianti^belt and. a loop forming roller therefor and actuating means for the latter operating to change the horizontal angular relation of said belt and roller during the binder applying operation whereby a better application of the binder to a doubly tapered bunch is effected, means being also provided for holding the belt against displacement while the angular relation of the belt and roller is undergoing change. All of the above mentioned means, mechanisms and parts may be varied within wide limits within the scope of the claims. The particular construction selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same, and the invention therefore is not to be restricted to the details of the structureshown and described. yFurthermore, certain parts of the invention are capable of use independent of other parts. and such-independent use is contemplated.

' Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the main frame of the machine selected to illustrate the invention. This frame is of a type well known in the art andserves to support two main power shafts 2 and 3 and numerous brackets which in turn support the various mechanisms in themachine organization, The machine is provided with means for forwarding a mass of filler tobacco in sheet form and with means for separating a charge therefrom and passing it to ,a binder applying mechanism where lit is enclosed Within a binder to initially form afresh bunch. This forwarding and chargeseparating mechanism is in the main well known in the art and therefore a full detailed description ofthe same'is unnecessary to a full understanding of the 'present invention and it is omitted in the interest of brevi-ty Vand clearness. It may be--here remarked however that it includes a feed belt 4 andfeed wheels 5, cut-off knife 6, rake device 7, charge trimming knives 8, and return belts 9, with operating mechanism therefor deriving its motion from the power shaft 2 through:

suitable cams fast on said shaft. In Fig. 1,

a charge marked C is shown in the position towhich the rake device vilelivers it. In this position it rests upon a grid 10 supported by two cross brackets 11 and 12, the grid and brackets being stationaryl and forming a part of a sectional table having one movable section marked 13 which normally lies flush with the stationary sections. The rake device 7 delivers the charge against a stop consisting of three fingers 14 which project upwardly through the grid 10. These fingers are secured to a bar 15 fast upon ithe upper end of an upright 16 the lower end of which is pivoted at 17 to a lever 18 fulcrumed at 19 to a bracket 20 secured to a bracket 21 eX-.

tending across the machine and supported by the main frame. The lever 18 is rocked at the proper time by means of a link 22 one end of which is pivoted to an adjustable bar 23 carried by an arm 24 having an adjustable connection by means of adjusting screws 25 with a cam lever 26 operated by a cam 27" fast on the shaft 2 before referred to. The cam lever 26 and arm 24 are supported on a bar 28 extending across the machine. The link 22 is also connected with and operates a slide 29 working in4 the bracket 20. This slideV has at-,its upper end a sleeve v30 open at the top (see Fig. 6). Slidably mounted in thissleeve is a bar 31 which is slotted to support and carry an upright 32 to the upper end of which the movable section 13 of the table is secured. The bar 31 is connected by means of a link 33 with a cam lever 34 fulcrumed on a bar 35 extending across the machine. This cam lever is made `in two parts for adjustment purposes, the adjustment being .made in a well known manner by the adjusting screws 36. It is to be noted that Vby means of the structure just described, the

`movable section 13 of the table lies flush with the rest of the table when the stops 14 are in position to actl upo-n a charge, and that-when the section 13 is elevated the stops will be lowered by the same mechanism.

While the stops 14 are in operative position, the charge is clamped on the table in order to securely hold it while the trimming knives move down to cut the uneven ends from the charge. This is accomplished by means of a group of fingers or arms 37 carried by a shaft 38 mounted in a bracketV 39 supported by the main frame of the machine. The shaft 38 is provided with anl arn` 40 which is connected with a link 41, said link being also connected with a cam lever fulcrumed on the bar 28 in a well known manner. After the charge lying on the table has been trimmed, the stopsare withdrawn and the movable section of the table 13 is elevated until it is free to move over the stationary part of said table. The cam lever 34 then comes into action andfpushes the rod 31' forward in the sleeve 30. This results in moving the movable table section 13 over shaft 45.

the stationary part of the table to push the charge intothe open mouth of a charge carrier 42 the function of Which 1s to transfer the charge from the separating mechanism to a binder applying mechanism for enclosure within a binder to initially form a fresh bunch.

rl`he charge carrier 42 is provided with a door 43 for retaining a charge therein, and with a rack ejector 44 for ejecting the charge at the proper time, and it is ivotally mounted on a shaft 45 which is hol ow and encloses another shaft 46 the purpose of which will be presently described. The shaft 45 1s mounted in bearings 47 and 48 formed onA a bracket 49 which is fast on a shaft 50 mounted in bearings 51 and 52 formed on a bracket 53 supported by the main frame of the machine. The shaft 50 is provided with an arm 54 connected-with` a cam actuated link 55 and by means of which the charge carrier is swung from charge receiving to. charge delivering position. During itsl movement from charge receiving to charge delivering position the carrier. must be swung on the axis of the shafts 45 and 46 in order to bring it into proper position for ejection of the charge. This is accomplished by` means of the following mechanism: a cam 56 is fast on the shaft 50 and on its periphery runs a bowl 57 carried by a'cam lever 58 fulcrumed at 59 and connected with a link 60, this link also being connected with an arm 61 on the The bowl` is held to its cam by means of a spring 62 coiled about the shaft 45. The mechanism justdescribed operatesto swing the charge carrier from its horizontal position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 to its vertical or charge delivering position shown by dotted lines in said figure.

As the charge carrier moves into position to receive a charge, its door 43 is closedand must be opened. This is accomplished by means of a device mounted on the bracket 21 before referred to. This device consists in thefollowing parts: a bracket 63 rises from the bracket 21. This bracket 63 is provided with a long boss in which-a shaft 64-is journaled. Upon one end of this shaft, an operating arm 65 is secured and -upon the other end a second arm`66 is fast. rIhe arm 66 is connected with alost motion'link 67which.

72 on the door 43. The-rod 3l before .referred to is used for the purprose of .rocking the shaft 64 to operate ther charge carrier door. With this end in View, the rod 31 1s provided with an upright 73 to ,whlch' 1s selcured an elongated block "74.moving in a path to engage and operate the arm 65. By an inspection of Figs. 5. 6 and 7, it will be readily understood that as the rod 31 moves l known manner.

forward to cause the movable section 13 of the table to push a charge into vthe carrier, the block 74 moves with it, engages the arm. 65 and throws the latter far enouglrtorcanse the mechanism just described to 'pen the door 43 in which posit-ion it is held by meansI of the spring 75. After the Charge has been pushed into the carrier and the latter is about to swing to delivery position, the block 74 retreats again engaging the arm and rocking it in the opposite direction. This action results in closing the door to hold the charge in thecarrier during its swinging movement. delivery position, which is over the loop formed in the belt of the binder applying mechanism, the ejector is operated to push the charge out of the carrier. This is arcomplishefd by means of a pinion 76 fast on the shaft 46 and engaging the rack of the ejector 44. The shaft 46 is provided with another/pinion 77 which is in mesh with a sector gear 78 formed on an arm of the lever 79 loosely mounted on the' shaft 50. A cam acutated link 80 is connected to the other arm of this lever for the purpose of rocking it at the proper timeto cause ejection of the charge.

After-the charge hasybeen separated from a mass, trimmed and transferred from the separating mechanism, it is acted upon by a binder applying mechanism of the chianti belt type to cause it to be enclosed within a binder to initially form afresh bunch. While this chianti belt mechanism is of a type generally well known in the art. it differs from those heretofore known in certain respects. The belt 8l reststhroughout the greater part of its length upon a table 82 supported by a frame 83 rising from the main frame of the machine. This table and also the belt for va limited area is perforated, the table perforationsbeing in communication with a chamber 84 formedvtherein. and this chamber-is in communication with suitable suction producingmechanism. not shown, by means ,of a suction pipe 85. The purpose of the perforations 'is to provide means for holding a binder B in outspread' condition on the belt as clearly illustrated in Fig. 9. One end of the belt. is as usual secured to the delivery end of the table and the other is attached to a slackadjusting device of well known character 4and including a roller 86 carrying a sprocket over which runs a chain 87. This chain 87 is fast at one point to a cam actuated lever 88 by meansof which it is operated, the chain being kept tight by mea-ns .of a weighted arm" 89 .and'pulley 90 in a well Tlxe device I'is providedl with a loop forming roller 91` mounted in crossheads 9 2 and 93. Each of `these crossi heads is provided with a bowl 94 running in a suitable cam track 95 formed in the sides When the carrier has reached of the device. Tlie'device is provided with an additional cam track above the table and marked 96, this cam track being different from the main cam tracks.v The loop forming roller 91 is provided with an annular recess 97 engaging the cam track 96. The crossheads 92 and 93 uare each connected with a cam actuated operating link, that for the crosshead 93 being marked 98, and that for the crosshead 92 being marked 99. The links 98 and 99 are respectively connected with cam levers 100- and 101. After a charge has been vdeposited inthe loop of the chianti belt, thev device comes into action in the usual manner and begins to roll the charge over and over and into the binder held by suction on the belt. Thus far. its -action is like that of such devices heretofore known. By an inspection of Fig. 9, however, it will be readily'understood that the latter partof the rolling action is different from all known devices, the loop forming roller'uot following the usual direct path across the table without changing its angular relation thereto, but having a certain end thrust produced by the cam track 96 and a certain change in its angular relation with respect to the belt. It is of course the independent crosshead operating mechanisms and the cam track 96 that makes this peculiar movement of the loop forming roller possible. Its main advantage lies in the adaptability of the device vto more accurately follow the contour of a cigar bunch having a double taper shape, and to more effectively apply the binder to the'charge and in smoother condition. When the angular relation of the belt and roller is changing, there is a tendency of the belt to crowd ahead of the rolle-r and wrinkle. Means are therefore provided to prevent this and as shown said means consists in a suction chamber 102 located under the belt at a point adjacent its delivery end and just where the tendency to wrinkle exists. This' chamber is in communication with a suitable suction producing mechanism, not shown. by means of a pipe 103.. It will be readily understood that the suction force exerted on the belt at this point will prevent it from slipping and forming a wrinkle.

The binder applying mechanism delivers an enclosed charge, now a fresh bunch` to a bunch manipulating mechanism the function of which is to 'evenly and lloosely distribute` the filler in its mid-section so that when finished the cigar will smoke freely and evenly. This mechanism includes a bunch rolling drum 104 and a cooperating concentric member 105. the latter being yieldingly mounted adjacent each of its ends. or, as shown, upon compression springs 106 which are adjustabler by means of adjustingscrews 107. The drum, cooperating member, and springs 'are all mounted in a single casting 108 surmounting the main frame ofy the machine. This casting is located on the main frame by means of a single dowel pin 109 so that thedevice is adjustable about an axis lying at an angle `to the axis of v'the drum, or, in other words, about the dowel pin 109. The purpose of this adjustment is to adapt the device for making differently shaped bunches without the necessity heretofore existing of changing the parts of the device to meet the new requirements. The casting 108 is held firmly in adjusted position by means of bolts indicated at 110. The drum 104 is mounted upon a shaft 111 joiirnaled in bearings 112 formedcn the casting 108, and one of its ends is provided .with a crank 113 'engaging a sliding block 114 in a crosshead 115 fast on a shaft 116 journaled in a bracket 1,17 rising from the main frame ofthe machine. Mounted on a projecting end of the shaft 116 is a pinion 118 which is in mesh with a gear 119 fast on a short shaft 120 journaled in a bearing on the bracket 117 This shaft also carries a sprocket 121 over which runs a chain 122 deriving its motion from the shaft 3 before referred to. It will be understood that the purpose of the crank 113 is to maintain driving connection between the shafts 111 and 116 when the drum is adjusted slightly out of alignment with the shaft 116. The particular manner of mounting the cooperating member has been found in practice to more evenly distribute the filler in the mid-section of the bunch than the earlier devices intended to accomplish the same result.

A bunch transferring device is provided for transferringl the manipulated bunch to a bunch end compressing mechanism the function of which is to compress the ends, or -in some cases one end, into permanent conic form. As shown, this transferring device is mounted on the bracket 117. It includes a pair of side arms 123, 12.4, carried by a shaft 125 journaled in bearings- 126 and 127 formed in the casting 117. This shaft is rocked at proper times by means of a pinion 128 fast thereon and a cam actua ated rack 129, the rack being held to its duty by means of an idle roller 130 of well known construction and operation. Connecting Ithe outer ends ofthe side arms 123 and 124 is a rod 13 1 carrying at a point between its -ends a pair of fixed fingers 132 and a spring finger 133adapted t-o clasp a bunch rolled therebetween by the action of the drum and cooperating member at the end of the manipulating operation.

The bunch transferring device just described delivers a manipulated bunch to a bunch end compressing means which receives and supports the bunch during further treat- This compressing means includes a cradle 134 and a pair of cooperating bunch holding fingers 135, Athis cradle and these fingers being of a type well known in the art, and their function is to support and hold the midsection of a fresh bunch in uncompressed" condition lwhile one of its ends is being compressed into permanentconic form: or, in case the bunch is 'double tapered while both of its ends .are being so compressed.

As hereinbefore pointed out, it has been found in practice that by compressing the end of a bunch first into wedge and thereafter into permanent conic form, a firmer. more even` and otherwise better end is produced. In order to effect this double compressio-n` two pairs of forming jaws 136 are provided. together with means for producing a rela-tive approaching movement of said jaws to cause them to simultaneously compress bot-h ends of the bunch into wedge form. and means for thereafter producing a different relative movement of said jaws to compress the temporarily wedge shaped ends in another direction into permanent conic form. By an inspection of Fig. 24, it will be seen that the t-wo pairs of jaws compress the opposite ends of the bunch into different forms although both ends are conic within the meaning of the term as herein used. Each of the jaws 136 is provided with a concavltv 137 and a. flat slde 138 adjacent thereto. The jaws are mounted in pairs upon a pair of crossheads 139, each crosshead having a stem 140 provided with a rack 141` the purpose of which will be hereinafter eX- plained. Each of the stems 14() is slidably mounted in an oscillating bracket 142. Both of these brackets are fulcrumed on a shaft 143 suitably journaled in bosses 144 formed on a bracket 145 rising from the main frame 1 of the machine. Each of the oscillating brackets 142 4is provided with a depending lug 146` and pivoted at 147 to these lugs 146 is a pair of operating toggle arms 148 also pivotally'connected to a fork 149 formed Ain the upper end of an adjustable connecting rod 150, the other end of this connecting rod being pivoted to a\ cam lever 151 fulcrumed on a bar 152 extending across the machine and carrying a. ho\vl \153 operatpin 156 secured in `the bracket'v145 before referred to.

After the bunch endsl have been compressed in a wedge formjthe jaws 136 are given opposite movement in parallelism-to cause the concavities 137 of the jaws to engage the wedge ends of the bunch and transversely compress them into permanent conic form. ln order to do this successfully it is necessary that the jaws be relatively accurately positioned so that they may be moved past each other in close relation but without friction. Vith this in view, one of the brackets 142 is provided with an adjusting screw 157 which engages a suitable boss 158 formed on the other oscillating bracket. By means of this adjusting screw, the initial approaching m-o-vement of the jaws is accurately limited, as shown in Fig. 15. The mechanism for causing the aws to move in such manner as to transform the wedge shaped ends of the bunch into permanent conic form is a cam actuated rack and pinion mechanism and includes the racks 141 before referred to. both of these racks being in mesh with a pinion 1'59 fast on the shaft 143 before referred to. One of the ends of this shaft 143 is squared and upon the squared end is mounted an arm 160. The free end of this arm is pivoted to the upper yoke of a connecting rod 161the lower end of this rod Means are provided for trimming thel ends of the bunch while in the end compressing means and this means comprlses a pair of knives 165 and 166. The knife 165 liesin contact and cooperates with the outer surfaces of one vpair of compressing jaws when the latter are closed to shear o excess tobacco protruding through said jaws. Similarly, the knife 166 (jo-acts with the other pair of compressing jaws. Each knife is screwed to and carried by a lever 167 fulc'rumed to one of the jaws 136, and each lever is connected to a link 168. The link 168 of the knife 165 is also connected to an arm 169. while the link 168 of the knife 166 is connected to the upper arm of a cam lever 170, carrying at its lower end a bowl 171 tracking on a peripheral caln 172 formed on the cani 154 before referred to. The arm 169 and lever^170 are both fast on a shaft 173 journaled. in lu'gs 174 extending from the bracket 145 before referredl to. By the construction just described, the two knives 165 and 166- are operated simultaneously to trim both ends 

